Sacramento Blues Society celebrates 45 years of bringing music to the masses

By Patti Roberts | Solving Sacramento Sacramento has been blessed with many blues legends gracing our stages and nightclubs, including Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Little Milton and Etta James.& Add to that our local blues talent such as Rick Estrin, Mick Martin, Charles”LIttle Charlie” Baty, Marcel Smith, Chrissie O’Dell and the late Johnny Heartsman.& Much of the credit for shining the spotlight on these musical talents goes to the Sacramento Blues Society (SBS), now celebrating its 45th anniversary with its stated mission of “promoting and preserving blues music as the original American art form.” Founded in 1979, SBS is the third oldest blues society in the United States, with the Santa Barbara Blues Society being the oldest, followed by ​​Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Blues Society. Though there have been smaller celebrations throughout the year, the big SBS anniversary celebration will take place Aug. 11 at Harlow’s in Sacramento. Billed as “Songs That Changed Our Lives,” the event will star local blues performers Chrissie O’Dell, Dana Moret, Pinkie Rideau and Tia Carroll.  Origins of the Sacramento Blues Society& The society’s origins come from those who saw a need to organize and promote local blues shows in Sacramento almost a half-century ago.& &...